Stable Performance in French Fish Auctions

Wed, 27 May 2015

FRANCE - Fish auction sales in France have shown a slight increase of one per cent in value to reach €630 million in 2014, compared to 2013, according to Finnian O’Luasa in the Paris Office of Bord Bia – Irish Food Board.

This is due to a rise in the average auction price of fish, which reached €3.03 per kg at first point of sale. Volume, on the other hand, declined by one per cent to reach 209,325 tonnes.

Landings of Hake and Pollock showed significant increases in volume of +36 per cent and +16 per cent respectively.

Cod and haddock landings declined by 25 per cent and 27 per cent respectively, due to quota restrictions.

However, the whitefish category came under price pressure, due notably to competition from imported cod.

The average selling price for cod fillets at retail level in French supermarkets came to €13.73 /kg in 2014, compared to €14.30 /kg in 2013.

Cod has been abundantly available on the import market, resulting in interesting offers to consumers for loins and fillets.

Consumer purchases of cod increased by eight per cent in 2014, and overtook the market share of salmon whose sales declined by 16 per cent.

Scallop landings in France declined by five per cent in 2014 compared to 2013 to reach 14,580 tonnes.

The beginning of the 2014/2015 season is also reported to be down in landings by 22 per cent for October to February, leading to a price increase of 18 per cent at first point of sale to reach €3.09 per Kg.

As described in an earlier Food Alert, France has the fifth highest rate of per capita consumption in Europe at 35 kg per inhabitant per year, compared to an EU average of 23kg.

The top 10 species in volume purchased fresh for home consumption in France are mussels, salmon, oysters, cod, saithe, scallop, whiting, brown crab, hake and whelk.